There have been a number of threads on the main board in relation to PMS, Estrogen Dominance and Progesterone Replacement. I have found Dr. Uzzi Reiss's book on Natural Hormone Balance to have some of the best information on estrogen and progesterone. Here are some excerpts from his writings:

Common Signs of Estrogen Deficiency:

1. Mental Fogginess

2. Forgetfulness

3. Depression

4. Minor Anxiety

5. Difficulty Falling Asleep

6. Hot Flashes & Temperature Swings

7. Day-long Fatigue

8. Sagging Breasts and loss of fullness

9. Episodes of rapid heatbeat

10. Headaches & Migraines

Common Signs of Estrogen Dominance:

1. Breast Tenderness or Pain and increase in Breast Size

2. Water Retention

3. Impatient, snappy behavior but with a clear mind

4. Pelvic cramps with or without uterine bleeding

5. Nausea

Common Signs of Progesterone Deficiency:

1. Primary Amenorrhea - no period at all or Secondary Amenorrhea period with no ovulation

2. Oligomenorhea - period comes infrequently

3. Heavy and frequent periods.

4. Spotting a few days before the period

5. PMS symptoms

6. Cystic & lumpy breasts

7. Most cases of endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibroids.

8. Anxiety, irritability and nervousness. Difficulty sleeping and relaxing.

Estrogen and the Shape of Your Body:

A woman's shape and breast size during her younger years serve as a yardstick of estrogen production. Dr. Reiss uses 3 categories of body types.

Type 1

Short, voluptuous and full-breasted. This woman produces more estrogen. She functions on a higher level of estrogen. The abundance of estrogen creates larger breasts, earlier bone closure and smaller stature. She does not tolerate increases in estrogen. She usually feels uncomfortable on a strong birth control pill or second trimester of pregnancy.

Type 2

Tall, thin and relatively small breasted. Operates on much less estrogen and usually develops her period later. Grown taller because of less estrogen in the system to promote the calcification of bone tissue. Smaller breast size is a sign of relatively lower estrogen. May not feel the cyclic drop of estrogen. Generally feels wonderful during pregnancy or when taking birth control pills.

Type 3

Normal. In betweeners.

Normal menstruation cycles and fewer pregnancies contribute to an accumulation of "aggressive" estrogens in the body.

1. Women produce "aggressive" estrogen every day of the month

2. They do not produce enough protective estriol

3. Progesterone, which protects the body and balances estrogen, is produced only during the 2 weeks of the month following ovulation.

4. The level of progesterone declines significantly after a woman reaches 35.

5. During perimenopause, progesterone is usually gone from the body.

6. The birth control pill raises the level of aggressive estrogen in women's bodies without estriol or bioidentical progesterone for protection.

7. Unlike any time before in history we are exposed to huge amounts of xenoestrogens found in plastics, chemical compounds.

One can use natural agents to eliminate excess estrogen. Once estrogen has performed its cellular mission, it is carried to the liver and deactivated and then transported to the gastrointestinal tract for evacuation. However, an enzyme in the intestines called beta-glucuronidase reactivated some of the estrogen, allowing it to be reabsorbed into the bloodstream. The recycling process produces about 30% of the available estrogen in the body. Dr. Reiss recommends eating a fibre rich diet and taking Calcium d-glucarate to prevent the recylcing of the outward bound estrogen.